Inadequate Investigations – is a PFD coming your way?
26/09/2025
The impact these could have for your Health and Care organisation
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I am a partner in Bevan Brittan’s Health & Care Regulatory team, based in the Birmingham office. I have nearly 25 years’ experience as a health and social care advisor and litigator both in the UK and formerly in the USA.
I advise on and represent independent health and social care and NHS client, on a range of issues, co-ordinating health and social care team expertise in property, commercial, corporate, inquest, advisory, employment and regulatory work to provide a full service experience for clients across the health and social care sector. I work across a wide range of service providers including acute, domiciliary, residential, nursing, mental health, prisons and supported living.
With a personal focus and expertise in complex inquests involving the police, regulatory, governmental bodies and agencies, I provide legal expertise, support and advocacy throughout the entire inquest process. Many of the inquest cases I am involved in are high profile, Article 2 and jury matters where neglect, unlawful killing and/or corporate liability are a risk. I provide holistic commercial advice, which includes supporting clients to ensure that they are able to address any concerns around preventing future deaths and with communication strategies.
My day to day practice focuses not only on representation at complex inquests, but supporting organisations in investigating and reporting internal investigations and supporting CEOs/management in areas of strategic concern.
I am one of the core partners in the multi-disciplinary health and social care team at Bevan Brittan, which provides targeted training, workshops and webinars to clients as well as chairing roundtable events with sector leaders on a variety of independent health and social care and NHS topics.
Client Quotes
Amanda’s ability to act on and co-ordinate all legal aspects of Independent Health and Social Care work, from property, commercial, corporate, inquest, advisory and regulatory work is exceptional. She is a trusted advisor and someone who ‘gets things done’. She is always accessible, responsive, gives outstanding commercial and pragmatic advice and is recognised in the sector for her tenacity and credibility. Simply put, Amanda is a legal ‘go to’ for our organisation.
I have worked with Amanda for many years at a large NHS Foundation Trust. She always prepares for any inquest with meticulous detail. She treats our staff and families of the deceased with empathy and respect throughout the course of the process, as well as providing valuable insight from a quality and safety and regulatory perspective to management. She is well known to have the respect of the coroner’s services within our area because of the preparation, professionalism and veracity she continuously demonstrates. She is a fearless advocate and advisor, who you would always want in your ‘corner’. Staff and management know that Amanda provides the safest legal pair of hands possible.
I am known as a trusted advisor for independent and NHS health and social care clients and have a large number of contacts within both the public and independent sectors.
I am qualified in law both in the USA and the UK, having practiced as a medical negligence trial attorney in the USA for over 12 years before returning to the UK.
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- Ambassador for Championing Social Care
- USA/Pennsylvania Juris Doctor and Bar Qualified 1999 (Supreme Court and Middle District Pennsylvania)
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America 2002
Notable Cases
- I represented and advised a public sector client on a complex inquest matter involving the death of a young patient detained under the Mental Health Act. The police and HSE were involved as the patient absconded from a secure unit via a window. Absconsion policies, observation policies and practices were at issue, together with providing support for police interviews and possible prosecution and disciplinary actions of staff members for falsification of documents.
- I represented and advised an independent mental health provider on a complex Article 2 jury inquest involving the death of a patient detained under the Mental Health Act in a medium secure setting. The patient ordered on line and obtained sharp items in the mail whilst an inpatient. He obtained access to these items and used them to end his own life. Issues concerned policies and procedures regarding opening of incoming mail ordered online, the ability of inpatients to order items on line/access to computers, as well as general day to day access to and observations/monitoring of restricted and banned items in general.
- I represented and assisted an independent supported living provider on the death of an autistic patient with epilepsy. Issues concerned failure to monitor as per the care plan, provision of suitably qualified staff and failure to liaise adequately with general medicine. Issues were raised regarding adequate communication with medical providers, failure to record/adequacy of record-keeping, and failure to follow own policy and procedure.
- I advised on the death of a CAMHS patient in the community following provision of Eating Disorder services and mental health community and inpatient input across multiple counties – including both NHS and independent service providers. The matter included significant liaison between different providers and services.
- I represented and advised an ambulance/pre hospital public sector client at a three week inquest involving positional asphyxia. The matter involved police and probation services, along with other government agencies. Clinical action and liaison between agencies was the focus of the inquest. This was an Article 2 Jury matter including police interviews of witnesses.
- I represented and advised an NHS Acute Trust regarding inquests and deaths related to a specific clinician whose performance of surgical procedures was called into question. There was police involvement and the role of Trust Management was called into question. Organisation policies and procedures were reviewed and revised, with a focus on lessons learnt from a systems stand point.
- I co-ordinated and acted for an independent residential care provider regarding death of a resident who choked to death following access to food restricted by the care plan. This matter involved the police and scrutinised issues included CPR, staff training, access to food items and systems.
